

Olivia Anderson is Flat Out Mum, a blogger, event and retreat organiser, and a mum to four very, very active boys…
As a Flat Out Mum, the thought of school holidays either makes you squeal with delight or reel in horror. I’m the former, looking forward to the sleep ins (8am!) and lazy mornings where my (self-titled) ‘scary witch’ persona is replaced by either Mary Poppins or Sergeant Major, keeping four active boys entertained and happy for at least two weeks.
While we do love a trip away to somewhere exotic (doesn’t everyone?), the fact is most of our school holidays are spent at home, in and around Melbourne. There is so much to do and a logistics degree would come in handy helping to co-ordinate the schedules and opportunities available to the boys.
By September, the sun is generally shining and my first priority is to get them outdoors and keep them outside for as long as the weather permits. Playing, using their imagination and learning the intricate skills needed to negotiate games with brothers and friends big and small. Living in the Lucky Country means we have parks, beaches and the best of nature at our doorstep. They end the day exhausted, hungry (usually wet) but most often with a sparkle in their eye.

Just quietly, keeping the kids outside also means the inside of the house MAY stay a little tidy with the smell of fresh air replacing that little boy smell just a little longer. It’s a win-win but here is a tip…let go of any Type A personality traits you may have, or the vision of rooms that may grace the pages of Home Beautiful at a moment's notice. Let go and embrace the chaos that is a mandatory part of kids having fun. On rainy days, the lounge room may transform into a giant cubby house and there will be endless changes of clothes, but in the end the memories should outweigh the increase in housekeeping duties.